Winches support a wide range of applications and assume a variety of sizes and types. Winches typically have an upper load limit. Potential damage or actual damage may occur when a winch is driven beyond its load limit; i.e., placed under a load condition exceeding its load limit. In addition, continued use of a winch under heavy load can cause the motor and other components of the winch to heat up. As the temperature of the motor or other components reach a predetermined maximum, the motor and/or circuit components become susceptible to damage, as well.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that is capable of detecting an overload condition of the winch and interrupting operation of the motor in order to prevent damage due to overload. It is also desirable to provide a fault detection system that monitors operation conditions of the motor and associated circuitry in order to prevent over-heating of the components or application of voltages that exceed predetermined levels.
The present invention incorporates a programmable controller for use with a winch. The controller is provided with fault detection and overload interrupt functions. The control unit can be utilized across a variety of different systems. In particular, the controller can be specifically configured to be used with a specific winch type. For example, winches for automotive vehicles are designed to be operated with a 12 volt, a 24 volt or a 42 volt battery and may be provided with or without overload interrupt features, and may provide for motor over temperature warnings or fault conditions being provided. With each of these various functionalities, a single controller design can be specifically configured for use with multiple product lines having different variations of functions.
The winch controller of the present invention provides an electronic replacement of the electromechanical solenoid switches used on conventional winches. The heart of the controller utilizes four high current electronic switches that change the direction of the field current for changing the direction of rotation of the winch motor. The high current electronic switches are operated using low current signals from the controller, and therefore, have low current demand on the battery. Conventional electromechanical solenoid switches are subject to wear and tear due to jostling and vibration as well as corrosion due to environmental conditions including water, dirt, and debris that can cause the components to arc and weld together. Furthermore, the electro-mechanical solenoid switches are bulky.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.